Water-level alarm for drip-pans.



C. C. JOHNSON.

WATER LEVEL ALARM FOR DRIP PANS APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 19!?- Paitented Oct. 29, 1918..

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" STATES PATENT OFFICE- cHARLns'cL YTon JOHNSON, or NEWBUBGH, NEW YORK.

$181501- water levels and more particularly relates. to an alarm to be employed in connection with the; drip pan of. a refrigerator ,or iniconnejctionwith an analogous water receptaclej 15. Objects ofztheinvention areto provide an alarm of the indicatedcharacter which will .ynot interfere ,with -tliel convenient placing uand removal of-thepan, and to provide a novel means for adjusting a float-controlled v alarm'for-varying the. water level at which the alarnigwill' be sounded.- H

An important object of the invention also is to provide, an attachment of the class described that may be readily applied to a drip pan and readily connectediup with the electric alarm circuit or disconnected. in the placing and removal of the pan.

Other objects of the invention and its advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through an alarm embodying my invention,

showing the same applied to a refrigerator partly shown in longitudinal vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same, the refrigerator being omitted and the alarm circuit being shown diagrammati- Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-8, Fi 2.

F11 the illustrated example of my invention I have shown the same associated with a drip pan A and the lower portion B of a refrigerator. On the refrigerator below the bottom thereof an electric circuit is arranged, including conductor wires 10, a bell Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed J 111120, 1917. Serial N 0. 181,749.

' WATER-LEVEL ALARM FOR- DRIP-FANS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

or equivalent audible signal 11, and a battery 12 supported in brackets 13.

I provide a clamp 14, the rear member 15 of which carries a clamp screw 16.130 bind, I agalnst the outside of the pan A while the main body or face plate of the clamp 14 lies .at the interior of the pan, the screw thus acting to clamp the side of the pan between the said screw and the face plate of the .clamp. A hinge leaf 1.7 is riveted or other- ,wise secured to the clamp 14. The leaves 17,18 of the hinge are connected by a knuckle hinge 19, hereinafter more particularly re ferred to, and said leaf 18 is secured by screws 18 or equivalent fasteners to a block 20 constituting a support for a float arm 21 pivoted as at 22 between cars 28 on the block 20, so that the ball float 21" thereof will be subject to the water in the pan A.

. The float controls an electric switch, for whlch purpose ahead 24L 1s secured to or formed on the float arm 21 at the opposite side of the pivot from the float121". and is adapted upon the rising of the float to be pressed against separated co1 itacts 25,which are formed by the heads of transverse bolts extending through the block 20, said bolts serving to secure sockets 26 to the opposite face of the block from the said contact heads of the bolts. The sockets 26 have vertical flaring slots 27 that detachably receive contact pins or bolts 28 which are carried by a block 29 and extend transversely there through and are provided with binding posts 30 for the terminals of the circuit wires 10.

By the described arrangement a slip connection is established between the contact pins or bolts 28 and the sockets 26 and when the said pins and sockets are engaged, the heads of the pins 28 contact with the ends of the contact bolts 25 carried by the block 20. Therefore, the rising of the float 21 will move the head 24 thereof into. engagement with the heads of the contact bolts 25 thereby closing the circuit; for sounding the alarm and upon the float dropping to a lowered position, the circuit will be broken. It will be clear, therefore, that the pan A may be removed from beneath the refrigerator for the dumping of the water and with it the block 20 and the float arm by disengaging the sockets 26 from the contact bolts 28, the said sockets and contact bolts having a slip connection by reason of the slots 27. hen the pan is replaced beneath the refrigerator, the sockets 26 are again engaged with the bolts 28 to establish metallic connection with the contacts 25.

In order to adjust the angular relation of the hinge leaves 17, 18 for varying the water level at which the l'loat 21 will close the circuit through the contacts 25, the hinge pin 31 of the knuckle hinge 19 is provided with threads receiving a wing nut 32, or the like, so that the tightening up of the nut will bind the knuckle and maintain the block 20 in a given angular relation to the clamp 11 whereby to vary the angle through which the float arm will be moved by the rising water before engaging the contacts 25.

I wish to state in conclusion that although the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettqrs Patent:

1. In a circuit closer of the class described, a structure attachable to a water receptacle, and adapted to be associated with a relatively fixed support, an element carrying terminals for electric conductors, a switch comprising contact members associated respectively with the said structure and with the said element, a fioat controlled arm pivoted on said structure and adapted to control said switch, and means forming a separable connection between the said structure and said element to permit removal of the water receptacle with the attached structure and float.

2. In a circuit closer of the class described, separable switch elements, means establishing a slip connection between said elements, coacting contact members carried by the respective switch elements, means to attach the other of said elements to a water receptacle, and a float controlled arm pivotally mounted on the latter element and adapted to engage the contact members thereof.

3. In a circuit closer of the class described, a fioat controlled arm, a structure on which the said arm is pivoted, means to support said structure, contact members on said structure to which members the said arm is pivoted, contact members on said structure with which the said arm is adapted to engage, sockets on said structure, an element having contact members detachably receivable in the said sockets to engage the first mentioned contact members, and means on 'said element adapted for connection with the conductor wires of an alarm circuit, said means being connected with the contact members of said elements.

CHARLES CLAYTON JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or latentl, Washington, D. C. 

